Saturday, 24 March 2012

I wanted to review the books (all 3 of them) before I reviewed the film, but I'm running very behind with blogging lately so I'm jumping straight to the film! However, I am so glad I read the books first (in a week!) because it definitely helped magnify the details, which was both a negative and a positive.

The Hunger Games is an event that happens in Panem, where a boy and a girl across 12 districts are randomly selected to compete in a staged arena where the winner is the last one standing and becomes very wealthy. This reminded me of Battle Royale (which I want to watch again as I don't remember much of it!) but nevertheless, I knew this would be a great thing to watch. There is so much more history and depth to why 'The Hunger Games' exist, but I don't think this was put across clearly in the film...although I'm sure the sequels will explore this further.

The main character is Katniss Everdeen who is from District 12 and is brilliantly played by Jennifer Lawrence and is the first time I have seen her on screen. Having read the books, Jennifer was near perfect for this character and I couldn't fault her performance at all.

Katniss' younger sister Primrose is originally chosen to enter the Games but as she is so young, Katniss volunteers to replace her. This act of bravery and sacrifice makes her stand out, and continues throughout the rest of the film...right up to a very defining point in the film. The chosen boy from District 12 is Peeta, who is played by Josh Hutcherson and a character I was most disappointed with...but I'll go onto characters later!!

The competitors are then taken to the Capitol to train and promote themselves...these scenes sounded amazing in the book, in regards to the costumes and the crowd but I don't think I was entirely impressed with it in the film. There is a scene where Katniss' and Peeta's costumes are on fire, as part of their stylist Cinna's promotional ideas...this was a huge deal in the book but it was totally forgettable in the film and not amazing enough.

I noticed this a lot throughout the film, some key bits in the book was not projected enough in the film. However, the film was over 2 hours long so I eventually forgot about the small errors because I could tell that a lot of effort had gone into making the film as authentic as possible!

OK so, lets talk about the characters!! As I said, Jennifer Lawrence was perfect, Josh Hutcherson as Peeta was not so perfect!!! When I saw the trailer, I was really disappointed but decided to give him the benefit of the doubt until I had watched the film. Some moments it seemed OK, but most of the time, I still didn't think he was suitable at all. Someone has made a HUGE error casting Josh Hutcherson as Peeta!!!! He is a great actor but he is not Peeta...and the chemistry between his character and Katniss does not seem right, especially as I know what will happen at the end of the final film!! Not only that, but my sister and I couldn't shake out the image of him in 'Zathura - A Space Adventure'!! We both agreed that Chris Zylka who plays Jake in 'The Secret Circle' would have been excellent as Peeta! I also came across some other cast preferences on IMDB - and particularly liked the suggestions from diego potter salazar and greyhound109. My favourites were Jim Broadbent as Beetee (a character in the sequels), Robert Downey Jnr as Haymitch Abernathy, Rachel McAdams as Effie Trinket, and Johnny Depp as Cinna!!

Anyway, characters have been chosen now and there's no going back, so...I do have appreciation for some of the existing ones too!! Stanley Tucci as Caesar Flickerman was hilarious and had me in tears...I am always surprised by his versatility as an actor every time I see him on screen! Liam Hemsworth as Gale was OK but he did not have much screen time so it's still hard to tell, Woody Harrelson as Haymitch surprisingly worked but his wig was awful, Donald Sutherland was great as President Snow and I am still undecided about Lenny Kravitz as Cinna...but this is possibly because the idea of Johnny Depp being Cinna is so much more appealing!!

I can't wait to see the next film which seems so far away but I'm certain it will be even better!!!...I do wish that the film was a 15 rating though with uncut scenes so I definitely recommend reading all the books before watching the film as you will be able to fill in the gaps! Nevertheless, you will certainly be entertained!!!

Tuesday, 13 March 2012

I went to the Tate Modern a few weeks ago and although I went to see something else, the Tacita Dean installation definitely caught my attention! I first spotted it when I was up a few levels and the oversized analogue film projection was just stunning!! ...and seeing the dark images of people around it made it look totally surreal!!

After I had finished with the exhibition I originally went to see (Yayoi Kusama), I went down to see the installation up close and personal and it was amazing...there was something so soothing and meditative about it even though I felt like I was in 'Honey, I shrunk the kids'!!!

Friday, 9 March 2012

The Miu Miu AW12 collection was a complete surprise...I really didn't expect this, but then again, I'm always surprised by it! There was an abundance of printed trouser suits, probably about 90% of the collection! They were patterned with retro geos and beautiful William Morris-esque prints.

If I was taller, I would definitely love this look for myself so I was very excited about the last few looks where there were shirt and skirt combos, with linked mirrorwork laid on top which created a tabard effect, and made a strong reference to Paco Rabbane...I loved these!! The make-up was adorable and helped make it look 'young and fun' when it was close to looking a little bit too grown up for Miu Miu. Overall, an amazing collection and I just love to see the mirrorwork in person!!!

Thursday, 8 March 2012

I first mentioned the Hei Poa brand back in November 2010 and this body oil is the second product I have bought from them! My skin is quite sensitive and can get dry if I don't moisturise properly, so during January (very cold + heating = skin issues), I had to fully equip myself with a few lotions and potions to help combat my problem! The Hei Poa body oil was a great help and smelt amazing. I read it is also suitable for conditioning hair, but I have yet to put it on my head yet!

I am keen to use more Hei Poa products so if anyone has any recommendations for a specific product, let me know!!

.....(and please can someone fix their website as I can't seem to find an English version of it!!!!)

Tuesday, 6 March 2012

Surprise surprise, I'm blogging about the Alexander McQueen collection again! Sarah Burton has been doing the most amazing things and this collection completely blew me away! The models looked like 'Sci-Fi Flower Fairies' to me, the way the fabrics wrapped, gathered and folded around the body and the use of the feathers in the most beautiful shades from ashened-lilac through to carnation pinks, ruby reds and bright magentas...they were just stunning!!

Monday, 5 March 2012

I've been a huge fan of JHB/GI (James Hamilton Butler/Georgie Ichikawa) since they exposed me to their SS12 Menswear and Womenswear collection back in August 2011 ..and as I adore illustration, Anime, Manga...which both collections contained elements of, I was hooked!

The AW12 collection was showcased in Carnaby Street and although
different to their SS12 collection, I would have still been able to tell
it was JHB/GI a mile away...I just love their aesthetic!! This time
round, the collection is in collaboration with Ayah Marar, GNI projects, Architainment Ltd and Kirin.

There was an amazing light installation which made print and pattern look different each time the colours changed!

Apart from the illustrations that I always love to see, there was
another print that I found very affective - ball bearings! They looked
amazing on simple t-shirts and even on shoes! Great collection, bring on SS13!!

Sunday, 4 March 2012

The Viktor & Rolf AW12 collection, in my eyes, has totally been under-rated!! I've hardly seen any Press about it and nobody at work has been talking about it...but I absolutely adored it!!!!

It was great to see the topiary-effect furs which reminded me of their SS10 collection where they did the same thing but with tulle - and that got tons of Press!! I found the below editorial of one of the dresses and I loved how the models wore black unitards underneath to give the effect as if they had been sliced!

Translating this idea onto furs was such a great thing to see and I loved the animalistic effect it created. I guess I loved this collection purely for it's eerie theme, with the moon backdrop, and the fur-trimmed negligees! It was as if the models were transforming from beast to beauty.... the collection definitely got my imagination working at full speed!!

Saturday, 3 March 2012

I don't think I've ever mentioned this on my blog before but I am totally obsessed with paper....whether it is good old plain paper in amazing colours, handmade paper, glitter paper, spotty paper...all papers!! I went a bit crazy last week and bought a whole stack of paper and card in lovely colours as I haven't made any of myhandmade books in ages! However, I did discover that it was pretty hard finding nice dark colours and true pastel colours...so any recommendations are appreciated! I will hopefully be posting an update with my new creations soon!

Friday, 2 March 2012

The Dolce & Gabbana collection was a mammoth one! This is probably due to the fact that their diffusion line D&G has come to an end, but I could see its aesthetic (younger and fun!) translated into the mainline which was great! As always, there was an abundance of rich textures and flattering silhouettes. The gold bullion embroidery was en masse and how I yearned to see it all in person! It was on coats, dresses, skirts...even on socks! Then there was an introduction to cross-stitch embroideries onto lace which was beautiful and even heavy tapestry looks with framed placements as if the dress was a piece of art itself.

Then came the sweetest cherub printed dress! I could not get enough of this collection!! The Marie Antoinette-esque shoes were the final touch along with doll-like acrylic floral accessories. It was a truly stunning collection and as always, cannot wait until SS13 now!!

Thursday, 1 March 2012

A couple of weeks ago I went to the Korean Cultural Centre in London which I didn't even know existed until a friend suggested we go there! It's actually part of a huge building near Trafalgar Square and I can't believe I've never noticed it. There was a bookstore inside and they also held Korean Film Nights which as a fan of foreign film, was a delightful surprise! There are also exhibitions which is why we went! We visited the 'New Space Around the Body' exhibition which showcased pieces from 8 Korean fashion designers which tied in with London Fashion Week at the time.

First up is Minky Jaemin Ha who created the most beautiful and sculpted garments... it took all of my energy not to touch anything!!!!

I loved the sculpted white piece, it was absolutely exhibition material and the strategically placed coin 'outfit', was stunning!!

Next is Ara Jo whose pieces were fascinating! The small details such as a join between trouser legs left me amused and I later read that Lady Gaga had worn the boned one-piece (not quite sure what to call it!)...which I could totally see!

Minju Kim's collection really stood out! The mannequins looked amazing and some of the dress silhouettes were the cutest!

I absolutely adored these shoes, I loved the little acrylic pieces hanging off them!

Yoolhee Ko's jewellery was presented in such an amazing way. Each piece was suspended in front of screens that had images projected onto them/or through them (can't remember!)...and it all really suited the 'space' theme with pyrite stones and raw edged metals. Beautiful! The video that we were able to watch afterwards which included all the designers was also great as it thoroughly explained the design process and promotional material.

Above is the most amazing idea by Kye! I also saw it in person but felt my photo of it projected was much better! The idea was based around King Kong and it left me feeling very amused!

And lastly, Yeashin Kim's 'Sea Creatures' collection was adorable. My favourite was definitely the encrusted knitted cardigan which I could see turning into a true heirloom item.

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Welcome to my blog! I am a full-time Designer in London for a fashion brand... but also have a whole load of other interests including making anything and everything - click on the huge SHOP sign above to check it all out.Also, feel free to use the tags below to navigate my blog posts!